E3 2012: Far Cry 3 hands-on

Deep in the jungle, in a place far from civilization, naked painted tribal breasts are rendered in high-quality HD. That is how the recent demo of Far Cry‘s latest entry begins and it seems like an odd bit to throw into any sort of promotional material. It’s a tribal thing…apparently at this point in the story you might be part of one. It isn’t very apparent, and with no knowledge of what is happening on this new island it just seems confusing.

Once that ends, it’s right in the jungle and the island is prettier than a picture. A path through leads up onto a sheer cliff face and with a rush of adrenaline I sprint up and leap off into the bright, sparkling water below. It’s a technical and artistic feat that gets lost in co-op. All the smooth lines that look dazzling in single player turn strange, and noticeably, jagged.

Swimming along comes with a stiffness that seems realistic enough, and with a novice amount of stealthiness I made my way to the other side, unaware if there was a hidden oxygen meter measuring my dwindling supply of air or not. A body gets tossed into the water by an unsuspecting guard. The kill is quick: a single tap of the right analog stick drags the individual down into the water and stabs. It’s at this point that Ubisoft’s representative says it would help to be stealthy in the oncoming section. Two not quite silent kills later and everyone knows I’m around. So much for being sneaky.

A shoot out follows and I’m ducking, covering and dispatching one after another on my quest toward a larger nearby building. Someone of some importance relating to the plot lurks within, and my mission objective states, in no clearer words, that he must die. His henchmen disagreed.

His little squad of fighters includes random groups of machine gunners, tigers and a severely armored guy with a flame thrower. I decide the best approach is to weave my way between the various parked cars like some sort of bloody slalom, unloading bullets into everyone I see. The tigers turn out to be deadly beasts, absorbing and dealing plenty of damage. The first tiger nearly kills me. The second tiger gets two preemptive grenades to the face.

Taking out the flamethrowing individual is a little trickier. Bullets seem to bounce right off the armor he is wearing. I solve this issue with a tactical retreat back to a nearby jeep with a mounted gunner’s seat. The following battle doesn’t last long with the extra firepower on my side, and I quickly race into the nearby facility to finish the job.

It’s here that I’m stabbed by some sort of mystical dagger that transports me into some sort of other/dream world. The revelations within are not ones that explain but rather question who you are as a character, and much like the entirety of Lost, question what the island is all about.

There’s a deeper mystery than I expected to see. Hopefully it’s not just window dressing.